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Homemade baby food and nitrates

Hello,
My LO is 4 months old and when he is 6 months, I would like to start him on solids. his ped gave us a paper that said NOT to make homemade baby food with the following veggies; spinach, collard greens and carrots. It has something to do with the nitrates in certain parts of the country. Apparently, it causes anemia?

Any thoughts?

Proud Mommy to Michael who is 3 now! Michael was nurseynursed for 2 years!!I did not make up this persona, but if I did, I would make myself 50 pounds lighter and 5 years younger!!!!

Re: Homemade baby food and nitrates

sweet potato too.....as long as you give these things in moderation and especially if your baby is over six months....there isnt much info out there but there is some....there is a thing called blue baby syndrome and it is from too many nitrates under 6 months of age. also do a search here on nitrates...i posted a thread way back when under that exact word. hth!

~To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world~

Re: Homemade baby food and nitrates

Look at the website www.wholesomebabyfood.com It has some really great information on nitrates. I was worried about this too before I read those articles. I made AJ sweet potatoes and carrots without any difficulty. He had his iron checked at 9mo and his iron level was fine. HTH

Re: Homemade baby food and nitrates

I just went to my LO 6 mo. check up and he said not to STORE any of those foods because the nitrate levels will increase. It is fine to give them homemade carrots and those others you list, just give them FRESH, not pre-made and frozen. That was confusing to me too, so that is why I asked him.

Re: Homemade baby food and nitrates

Nitrate levels increase in improperly stored spinach - and this is confirmed in only 1 study that has been done.

Leafy greens contain higher levels of nitrates than root veggies

Nitrates are naturally occuring in the veggies - the level of nitrate will increase from the soil if nitrogen fertilisers are used.

Nitrates cannot be removed because they are natural - don't believe the baby food companies that try to mislead you into thinking they remove nitrates - they dont!

Nitrates do not cause "anemia" as one thinks of anemia. "The name “Blue Baby Syndrome” stems from the fact that nitrites hinder proper oxygen transportation in the red blood cells. “Once in the blood, nitrite oxidizes iron in the hemoglobin of red blood cells to form methemoglobin, which lacks hemoglobin's oxygen-carrying ability.”

The AAP says that nitrate veggies should not be given to an infant 3 months of age or younger. They are also quick to point out that there is no reason that a baby that young should be eating solid foods anyway

Nitrate poisoning occurs from contaminated ground water before it ever occurs from veggies!